The document discusses the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the emergence of feudalism in medieval Europe. It describes how Germanic tribes like the Goths, Vandals, and Franks invaded the declining Roman Empire beginning in the 4th century AD. These invasions contributed to the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 AD. After the fall, cities declined as people fled to the countryside for safety. Society became organized around manors and a feudal system developed, with kings granting land to lords in exchange for loyalty and military service. Lords then granted land to knights who protected local peasants. Charlemagne later conquered much of Western Europe and was crowned Holy Roman Emperor on Christmas Day 800,

1. The Fall of Rome and
the Early Middle Ages.
Chapter 13
800-1215 AD

2. The Middle Ages were a
dangerous time in Europe
The strong empires of Rome and Greece
that protected trade routes and encouraged
science and personal liberties were fading
away.
The Roman empire not only had to fight the
plague but fight invaders from Europe and
Asia.

3. No more large cities, trade,
scholarship.
With all the disease, riots, outside
attacks and starvation people fled the
cities of the once strong Roman empire
for the countryside. Cities were
dangerous.
In Europe, people now lived on
manors, self-sufficient communities
consisting of a castle, church, village
and surrounding farmlands.

4. Even before the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 AD, life in Europe began to
change. The German barbarians on the fringes of the empire had long hungered for
Roman land. These barbarians were vigorous, restless people led by warrior chiefs. As
they pushed down upon the empire in the 4th century, they threw back Roman
garrisons. Meanwhile the strength and discipline of the Roman Empire were being
sapped by political decay, economic troubles, and decadent living. Surges of Goths,
Vandals, Lombards, Franks, Angles, Saxons, and other tribes sacked and pillaged the
crumbling empire. Their customs gradually submerged Roman civilization. The
highly developed systems of Roman law and government gave way to the rude forms
of the barbarians. The invaders lacked the knowledge and skill to carry on Roman
achievements in art, literature, and engineering. “The whole world,” St. Jerome wrote,
“is sinking into ruin.” This early medieval period is sometimes called the Dark Ages.
It was, however, a time of preparation, like working a field before planting seeds. Even
as the barbarians pushed Roman civilization aside, they brought fresh, robust ideas of
their own. Those ideas that most influenced the development of Europe arose from the
barbarian belief in the rights of the individual. To the Romans, the state had been more
important than the individual. From the barbarians’ ideal of personal rights grew their
respect for women, their government by the people, and their crude but representative
law courts. Kings and chiefs were elected by tribal councils, which also served as
courts of law.
Fall of the Roman Empire

5. The essential quality in a leader was bravery. If he cowered in battle, the tribe at once
hoisted another warrior on their shields as leader. When a tribe faltered, the women’s
pleas often stemmed retreat. Although the barbarians enveloped Europe and drove into
North Africa, only one barbarian group, the Franks, created a lasting state. Their first
great leader was Clovis, who in 481-511, established in Gaul the kingdom that was to
become France.
Fall of the Roman Empire (cont’d)

7. Charlemagne Crowned Emperor
On Christmas Day in 800, while Charlemagne knelt in
prayer in St. Peter’s in Rome, Pope Leo III seized a
golden crown from the altar and placed it on the
bowed head of the king. The throng in the church
shouted, “To Charles the August, crowned by God,
great and pacific emperor long life and victory!”
Charlemagne is said to have been surprised by the
coronation, declaring that he would not have come
into the church had he known the pope’s plan.
However, some historians say the pope would not
have dared to act without Charlemagne’s knowledge.
The coronation was the foundation of the Holy
Roman Empire. Though Charlemagne did not use the
title, he is considered the first Holy Roman emperor.
The first emperor to officially use the title Holy
Roman Emperor was Otto I on 23 November 912 in
Wallhausen.
The Magdeburger Reiter: a tinted sandstone equestrian
monument, c. 1240, traditionally intended as a portrait
of Otto I (detail), Magdeburg, BRD
Like France, Germany can also lay claim
to Charlemagne (Karl der Groß) as an
important figure in their history. This
statue is in Frankfurt, BRD.
Charlemagne- French
Charles the Great- English
Karl der Gross- German
Carol Magnus- Latin

8. Charlemagne’s Renaissance and
Reformation
Charlemagne had deep sympathy for the peasants and believed that government should
be for the benefit of the governed. When he came to the throne, various local
governors, called “counts,” had become lax and oppressive. To reform them, he
expanded the work of investigators, called missi dominci. He prescribed their duties in
documents called capitularies and sent them out in teams of two– a churchman and a
noble. They rode to all parts of the realm, inspecting government, administering
justice, and reawakening all citizens to their civil and religious duties.
Twice a year, Charlemagne summoned the chief men of the empire to discuss its
affairs. In all problems, he was the final arbiter, even in church issues, and he largely
unified church and state.
Charlemagne was a tireless reformer who tried to improve his people’s lot in many
ways. He set up money standards to encourage commerce, he tried to build a Rhein-
Danau canal, and urged better farming methods. He especially worked to spread
education and Christianity in every class of people.
He revived the Palace School at Aachen, his capital. He set up other schools, opening
them to peasant boys as well as nobles.

9. Charlemagne’s Renaissance and
Reformation (cont’d)
Charlemagne never stopped studying. He brought an
English monk, Alcuin, and other scholars to his
court. He learned to read Latin and some Greek but
apparently did not master writing. At meals, instead
of having jesters perform, he listened to men reading
from learned works.
To revive church music, Charlemagne had monks
sent from Rome to train his Frankish singers. To
restore some appreciation of art, he brought valuable
pieces from Italy. An impressive monument to his
religious devotion is the cathedral at Aachen, which
he built and where he was buried.
At Charlemagne’s death in 814, only one of his three
sons, Louis, was living. Louis’ weak rule brought on
the rise of civil wars and revolts. After his death, his
three quarreling sons split the empire between them
by the Partition of Verdun in 843.
Statue of Charlemagne in Aachen in front of city
hall.
Charlemagne’s signature

10. Song of Roland
Charlemagne, or Charles the Great, became king of the
Franks in 768 and later was master of western Europe. He
was a colorful figure who appealed to the imagination. As
the people of the United States have built up a mass of
legends around Davy Crockett, so did Europeans create
stories about Charlemagne. Gradually in their minds, he
became the champion of Christendom, the representative
of chivalry.
As Arthur was surrounded by the knights of the Round
Table, so Charlemagne had his knights who fought for him
and owed their allegiance to him. Prominent among these
was Roland, in legend the nephew of Charlemagne. The
work done in Italy with this material was expanded.
France produced one of the finest and the greatest of the
stories of Charlemagne in the form of the epic poem the
Song of Roland. The contents of the epic are concerned
with the events leading up to the tragic battle of
Roncesvalles, the battle itself, and the vengeance that
Roland pledges loyalty to Charlemagne
Battle of Roncesvalles

11. The eight phases
of The Song of
Roland in one
picture. The story
follows the battle
between
Charlmagne’s
army in France
and the Muslims
in Spain.

12. Fall of Rome, Beginning of the Middle
Ages, Carolingian Empires Venn Diagram
Carolingian Empire
Middle AgesFall of Rome

13. 1. When did Rome fall?
2. Name one of the Germanic tribes that
invaded the Western Roman Empire.
3. Who was the first medieval king?
4. Who was unofficially the the first Holy
Roman Emperor?
5. Name one of Charlemagne’s
accomplishments
Fall of Rome, Beginning of the Middle
Ages, Carolingian Empires Quiz

14. Vikings!
Vikings interrupted feudal life
with their raids on Medieval
Europe. They had poor soil
and few resources so they left
for other destinations to
conquer, pillage, and burn.
They created new cultures—
Norman and Russian.

15. V
I
K
I
N
G
LONGSHIPS USED FOR ATTACKING ENEMY SHORES.

17. Manoralism (econ. system)
or safety and for defense, people in the Middle Ages
formed small communities around a central lord or
master. Most people lived on a manor, which consisted
of the castle, the church, the village, and the surrounding
farm land. These manors were isolated, with occasional
visits from peddlers, pilgrims on their way to the
Crusades, or soldiers from other fiefdoms.
Why do you think everyone chose to be isolated?

18. The Feudal Middle Ages
Land = power Now Money = power

19. Feudalism (political system)
The kings had lots of land; he
gave land to lords in exchange
for protection and $.
Lords gave their land to knights
in exchange for protection, $.
Knights let serfs work the land
and he would protect them.
Serfs got food and shelter.
Thus, each person had rights
and responsibilities

20. Feudal Bonds and Powers
In the early feudal age, when a freeman gave up title to his land he became the lord’s
“man” and promised him fealty (loyalty). This was called commendation. Out of it
grew the ceremony called homage (from the Greek word homo, meaning “man”). The
vassal swore to serve his lord, to fight for him, to furnish knights in proportion to the
size of his fief, and to give aids in money on special ransom, if he should be made a
prisoner; on his departure for a crusade; when his oldest son was knighted; and at the
marriage of his oldest daughter.
Strictly speaking, feudalism involved only the noble classes. The system rested,
however, on the work of the serfs, or villeins, who supported the lords and their knights.
Officially the serfs were “unfree.” They, however, were not the chattel property of other
people, like slaves. They could not leave the place where they were born and were part
of the real property like buildings; but neither could the lord send them away.
The manor was almost self-supporting. The miller ground the grain, and the smith
welded and fashioned iron. The women spun linen and wool, wove fabrics, sewed,
baked, and brewed. The chief materials that had to be brought in were salt and iron.
The main business of the lord and his knights was warfare. His sons were trained in
horsemanship and handling weapons and also in social skills. Their code of behavior
was called chivalry.

21. Serfdom Succeeds Slavery
By the late Roman Empire, in the 4th and 5th centuries AD, there developed large
groups of hereditary agricultural slaves. These could not be sold apart from the land
itself. Their status became similar to that of tenant farmers who were part of the land
and worked the land for someone else. These slaves gradually became serfs: they and
their succeeding generations were tied by law to the land they occupied. In the
western section of the empire, slavery gradually disappeared after the 4th century and
was rarely heard of by the end of the 10th century. Serfdom became the common form
of agricultural labor and persisted as such until at least the 19th century in many parts
of Europe. Serfdom was one of the bases of feudalism, the system of mutual
responsibilities that bound society together during the Middle Ages.
In England, serfdom ceased soon after the end of the Great Peasant Revolt in 1381. In
certain parts of France serfdom did not disappear until the night of 4 Aug 1789, during
the French revolution. At that time, the nobles renounced all their feudal rights. In
Prussia, it persisted until 1811; and it was not until 1861 that Czar Alexander II, by
imperial decree, liberated the 40 million serfs of Russia, who had been increasing in
number since 1700.

23. Vikings, Manoralism, Feudalism,
and Serfdom Frayer Model
Definition
Serfdom Manoralism
Vikings
Feudalism

24. Vikings, Manoralism, Feudalism,
and Serfdom Quiz
1. Why did the Vikings leave their homes for
raids on other countries?
2. Name the components of a manor.
3. What was the basis of power in the Middle
Ages?
4. What was the largest group of agricultural
labor in the Middle Ages?
5. What country liberated 40 million serfs in
1861?

25. Castles!
Burg Eltz,
Germany
Le Mont
Saint
Michel,
France
Leeds
Castle,
Kent,
England
Neuschwanstein,
Germany
Copy this list of
famous castles

26. Copy this list
of castle parts

27. Castle Life
Supported by the brawn and taxes of the serfs, the feudal baron and his wife would seem
to have had a comfortable life. In many ways they did, despite the lack of creature
comforts and refinements.
Around the 12th century, palisaded, fortified wooden manorial dwellings began to give
way to stone castles. Some of these, with their great outer walls and courtyard buildings,
covered perhaps 15 acres and were built for defensive warfare.
Even in summer, dampness clung to the stone rooms, and the lord and his retinue spent as
much time as possible outdoors. At dawn, the watchman atop the donjon blew a blast on
his bugle to awaken the castle. After a scanty breakfast of bread and wine or beer, the
nobles attended mass in the castle chapel.
Sometime between 9AM and noon, a trumpet summoned the lord’s household to the great
hall for dinner. They gustily ate quantities of soup, game, birds, mutton, pork, some beef,
and often venison or boar slain in the hunt. In winter, the ill-preserved meat smacked
fierily of East Indian spices, bought at enormous cost to hide the rank taste. Great, flat
pieces of bread called trenchers served as plates and, after the meal, were flung to the
dogs around the table or given to the poor. Huge pies, or pastries, filled with several
kinds of fowl or fish, were relished. Metal or wood cups or leather “jacks” held cider,
beer, or wine. Coffee and tea were not used in Europe until after the Middle Ages.
Minstrels or jongleurs entertained at dinner.

28. Castles
The structures were
surrounded by a moat, a ditch
filled with water.
The gatehouse was the living
quarters of the guards over the
main gate of the castle.
The portcullis was a heavy
gate made of wood and iron,
which could be dropped down
to close off the gatehouse.

29. Castles
The walls of a castle could be
as thick as 30ft!!!
The walls of a castle have
small slits in them called
arrow loops for men to shoot
arrows through.
Round walls made each part
of the castle harder to hit, and
they gradually get thicker.

30. Knights!
Albrecht Dürer’s Knight, Death, and the
Devil ca. 1513
A tapestry showing King Arthur
leading a procession of knights.

31. A boy starts on his way
to knighthood at about
the age of seven or eight.
This young trainee was
known as a page.
Pages practiced fighting
with a sword against a
wooden stak or pell to
develop muscles needed in
becoming a strong knight.

32. Becoming A Knight
You have to be the between
the ages eighteen and twenty.
The next morning you would
be dressed in symbolically
colored clothes red (for his
blood), white (for purity), &
brown (for the return to earth
when he died).
A tap on each shoulder would
crown him a knight.

33. Chivalry- code of honor
The Knights Code of Chivalry described in the Song of Roland and
an excellent representation of the Knights Codes of Chivalry are as
follows:
To fear God and maintain His Church
To serve the liege lord in valor and faith
To protect the weak and defenseless
To give succor to widows and orphans
To refrain from the wanton giving of offence
To live by honor and for glory
To despise pecuniary reward
To fight for the welfare of all
To obey those placed in authority
To guard the honor of fellow knights
To eschew unfairness, meanness and deceit
To keep faith
At all times to speak the truth
To persevere to the end in any enterprise begun
To respect the honor of women
Never to refuse a challenge from an equal
Never to turn the back upon a foe
Of the seventeen entries in the Knights Codes of Chivalry, according
to the Song of Roland, at least 12 relate to acts of chivalry as
opposed to combat.

34. Knights and their Armor
The suits took 5 years
to make.
The armor was hand-
made by artisans and
craftsmen.
It took an hour to put
on the suit of armor.

35. Knights and their Armor
In the 12th century, the
knights used an armor
called mail.
When the armor was
complete it weighted about
20 or 30 pounds and that
was only the chest, arms,
and back.
These suits lasted until the
15th century and then they
started making full body
suits our of plate armor.

36. The two-handed
sword was a very
large sword with
visions of the ordinary
sword.
The battle-axes were
on a yard handle, and
swung with both
hands.
The cross bows were
like a gun that shot
arrows.

37. Weapons
Warriors used all
kinds of weapons.
The smallest
weapon was a
dagger.
Knights used
lances during
jousting
tournaments.
A double-handed
sword was used
in the 13th
century.

38. Jousting reached its
height as a
spectator sport in
the 13th century.
Knights met at a
combined speed of
60 mph.
2 teams of knights
would fight a mock
battle, called a
tourney.
It was outlawed by
the Pope.

39. Jousts and Tournaments
In a joust, knights could show
off their skills without other
contestants getting in the
way.
A knight could score points if
he broke his opponent’s lance
on your shield.
Special armor was developed
for jousting to increase
protection.

40. Castle Life, Feudal Bonds, Knights, and
Chivalry Sequential Organizer
Castle Life Feudal Bonds & Knights Chivalry

41. Castle Life, Feudal Bonds,
Knights, and Chivalry Quiz
1. Name one of the famous castles.
2. Name one of the parts of a castle/manor
3. Name one of the foods served in castle life.
4. Name one of the phrases of the code of
chivalry.
5. Give one weapon and type of armor.

42. A Date and an Invasion that Changed
the Course of History
In 1066, England
was invaded by
Normans (Vikings
from modern-day
France) and
conquered all of
England
Bayeux Tapestry (ca 1082)
Embroidery of the Norman
invasion on linen.

43. The day England acquired
a new royal dynasty, a new
aristocracy, a new Church,
a new language, a new
…though a Norman
invasion
Battle of Hastings,
13 October 1066

45. Dover burnt
Harold killed

46. REIGN END RULER
Kings of WESSEX & All England
802-839 natural death Egbert
839-855 natural death Ethelwulf
855-860 natural death Ethelbald
860-865 natural death Ethelbert
865-871 wounded at Merton (fighting Danes) Ethelred I
871-899 Oct 26 illness; porphyria? Alfred "the Great"
899 Oct 26 - 925 Jul 17 natural death Edward "the Elder"
925 Jul 17 - 939 Oct 27 natural death AEthelstan
939 Oct 27 - 946 May 26 stabbed at dinner, Pucklechurch, GLC Edmund I "the Magnificent"
946 May 26 - 955 Nov 23 porphyria? Edred
955 Nov 23 - 959 Oct 1 ? Edwy "the Fair'
959 Oct 1 - 975 Jul 8 natural death Edgar "the Peaceful"
975 Jul 8 - 979 Mar 18 hacked to death by stepmother's men Edward "the Martyr"
979 Mar 18 - 1013 autumn1014 1) Danish conquest
Feb 3 - 1016 Apr 23 2) natural death Ethelred II "the Unready"
1013 autumn - 1014 Feb 3 ? died - suddenly = at Gainsborough, Lincs Sweyn Forkbeard
1016 Apr 23 - 1016 Nov 30 died naturally, or murdered? Edmund II "Ironside"
1016 Nov 30 - 1035 Nov 12 ? died at Shaftesbury, Dorset Canute "the Great"
1035 Nov 12 - 1040 Mar 17 ? died at Oxford Harold II "Harefoot"
1040 Mar 17 - 1042 Jun 8 convulsion at a wedding feast at Lambeth Hardicanute
1042 Jun 8 - 1065 Dec 28 natural death 1066 5 Jan Edward "the Confessor"
1065 Dec 28 - 1066 Oct 14 slain by Normans at Hastings Harold II
NORMANDY
1066 Oct 14 - 1087 Sep 9 natural death William "the Conqueror"
1087 Sep 9 - 1100 Aug 2 New Forest hunting accident ... William II "Rufus"
1100 Aug 2- 1135 Dec 1 ptomaine from lampreys Henry I "Beauclerc"
1135 Dec 1 - 1154 Oct 25 natural death (appendicitis+) Stephen of Blois

47. The Conqueror’s footprints
Plotted by the destruction recorded in Domesday Book

48. Castles of the Conquest
The castle was introduced into England by the
Normans, who built them:
It has been estimated that possibly 500 castles were built by
the end of the eleventh century, an enormous capital
investment; but fewer than 100 can be securely documented
‘far and wide throughout
the country, and oppressed
the wretched people’
(Anglo-Saxon Chronicle)

49. Castles of the Conquest
Domesday
Book
names the
majority of
those
castles
known to
have
existed by
1086

50. Castles of the Conquest
Ludlow
Chepstow
Chepstow
Hastings
Shrewsbury

51. Genocide in Yorkshire
The Conquest, the rebellions which followed the
Conqueror's coronation, and the ferocity with which some
were suppressed, laid waste large areas of England.
The infamous ‘harrying of the north’ between 1069 and 1070
was an act of genocide which left much of northern England
uninhabited for a generation.
One chronicler, Ordericus Vitalis, wrote of this ‘harrying’:

52. ‘He [the Conqueror] harried the land and burnt homes to
ashes. Nowhere else had William shown such cruelty. In
his anger he commanded that all crops and herds, chattels
and food of every kind, should be brought together and
burned to ashes with consuming fire, so that the whole
region north of the Humber might be stripped of all means
of sustenance.
In consequence, so serious a scarcity was felt in England,
and so terrible a famine fell upon the humble and
defenceless populace, that more than 100,000 Christian folk
of both sexes, young and old, perished of hunger’
Genocide in Yorkshire

53. Genocide in Yorkshire
The same writer says that this act haunted the Conqueror
to his dying day. On his death-bed, he repented:
‘I ... caused the death of thousands by starvation and war,
especially in Yorkshire. In a mad fury,
I descended on the English of the north like a raging lion,
and ordered that all their homes and crops,
and all their equipment and furnishings,
should be burnt at once;
and their great flocks and herds of sheep and cattle
slaughtered everywhere.
So I chastised a great multitude of men and women
with the lash of starvation and, alas,
was the cruel murderer of many thousands’

54. On the basis of
recorded waste in
Domesday Book, it
has been calculated
that 15 years after the
‘harrying’ Yorkshire
still had only 25% of
the men and ploughs
there had been on
the day in 1066
’when King Edward
was alive and dead’
Genocide in Yorkshire
recorded waste in Domesday Book

55. Forest Law
Forest law was another oppressive feature of Norman rule. One
chronicler, half-Norman himself, described the death of two of the
Conqueror's sons in hunting accidents in the New Forest as a just
punishment for his excesses committed in the name of the royal
sport of hunting:
‘Now, reader, let me explain why the forest ... is called 'new'. That part of
the country had been populous in earlier days ... But after William I
conquered the realm of England, so great was his love of woods that he
laid waste more than 60 parishes, forced the peasants to move to other
places, and replaced the men with beasts of the forest so that he might
hunt to his heart's content. There he lost two sons, Richard and William
Rufus, and his grandson Richard ... by which the Lord plainly showed his
anger’
(Ordericus Vitalis).

56. Forest LawDomesday Book
shows many
depopulated
areas in what is
now the New
Forest, where
the ploughs and
peasants of King
Edward's days
had been
replaced with
royal forest by
1086
the New Forest in 1086

57. These and other disinherited native nobles
fought back against Norman tyranny from the
shelter of the forests the Normans had created
Rebels and outlaws
Small wonder then that the forest features
largely in myths of the Norman Yoke
from the days of Hereward the Wake and
Edric the Wild to Robin Hood

58. Rebels and outlaws
Edric the Wild features in many
Domesday entries
Edric the Wild
- or Edric of the
Woods – was,
like Robin
Hood after
him, a
disinherited
nobleman who
took to the
forest to fight
Norman
tyranny

59. Rebels and outlaws
The origins of the
legend of Robin Hood
are unknown; but the
Norman Conquest
would provide the
perfect setting

60. Unsurprisingly,
nostalgia for the Good
Old Days can be
detected in Domesday
as in this custom
which made the
Lady of the Manor
‘happy’

61. Fools and jesters
one of two jesters named in Domesday (whose quips may
have had a bitter edge)

62. Domesday Book
All this, and much
more, is recorded
in Domesday
Book, the single
most valuable
source for early
medieval history
…......
Domesday
1086
Domesday
2000

63. Domesday Book
Domesday Book is a major source for the disciplines of:
• Archaeology
• Geography
• Genealogy
• Law
• Linguistics
• Onomastics
• Palaeography
• Philology
• Prosopography
• Topography

64. Domesday Book
Domesday Book is known and studied world-wide.
Scholars from the following countries have published
significant work on Domesday Book:
• Australia
• Belgium
• Canada
• Denmark
• France
• Germany
• Holland
• Japan
• Norway
• Russia
• Sweden
• U.S.A.
A complete bibliography of Domesday Book would probably
number 10,000 publications
• as well as the U.K.

65. William the Conqueror of Normandy helped
make England what it is today and codified
feudalism (gave it the force of law).

66. Very few people
lived in the north
and west of
England.
Everybody lived in
the south.
Most of the South
of England was
covered in forest
and people lived in
villages.

67. England’s
army is
strong.
England’s
army is
scattered.

68. William’s army
was strong.
William’s army
lived and
trained
together.

69. William the Conqueror and the
Norman Invasion Concept Map
Norman
Invasion
Origins
Government and law
Examples
Characteristics

70. William the Conqueror and the
Norman Invasion Quiz
1. What was the invasion of England by the
Normans and the date?
2. Name one of the castles of conquest.
3. What document recorded all the
information in England?
4. Name one of the countries that have
studied the Domesday Book?
5. Who codified the feudalism in England?

71. Magna Carta
Signed in 1215
Example of Rule of
Law
English King John
was a bad king so his
nobles forced him to
sign it.
Limited powers of
king.

72. Changes in English Common
Law and Government 1100-1300
Common law Henry I (1100-1135) began to establish a common legal
system for all England. He sent royal judges to different
parts of the kingdom to try cases.
Henry II (1154-1189) expanded the legal system by
taking cases into the royal courts. These decisions
became known as common law.
Juries A jury system began to take shape under Henry II.
Groups of citizens later called grand juries were brought
together to report the names of suspected criminals to
royal judges. Trial juries also developed.
Magna Carta In this document (“Great Charter”), King John (1199-
1216) agreed to recognize the barons’right and
privileges. The Magna Carta established three
principles:
1. Taxation only with representation
2. The right to trial
3. Government according to the law
Parliament This official group of representatives was formed in the
late 1200’s to advise the king. Parliament’s control of
finances helped set limits on the monarch’s power.

73. Role of Catholic Church in
Middle Ages
Never was there a
time when the Church
was so powerful in
Western Civilization.
The Church was led
by popes. Priests and
nuns converted, gave
care to people and was
structured on the
former Roman
Empire.

74. Rome
Constantinople
Antioch
Jerusalem
Alexandria
Divisions of Control for the Christian Church
Coptic
OrthodoxCatholic

75. Role of Church
Monks and nuns
were spiritual
servants.
They lived in
monasteries and
nunneries that acted
like trade schools
and
YMCA/YWCAs.

76. Role of Church
They spent years
transcribing the
Bible since the
printing press
wasn’t invented
yet.

77. Churches and Cathedrals during
the Middle Ages

78. ~In the Middle Ages, the main purpose for a
cathedral was religion.
~The bells in the tower often signaled beginnings
of services or served as a clock to tell time.
~Stained glass windows, statues, and paintings
were picture Bibles for those who couldn’t
read.

79. Role of Church
Since there were no
strong empires or
kingdoms, the Church
was one organization
that had respect and
power.
Popes were more
powerful than kings
and emperors at certain
periods of history!

80. The Medieval Church
Beginning in the 7th century, all of North Africa, the Middle East, and the whole
Eastern, or Byzantine, Empire were conquered by the armies of Islam Caliphate.
The Western Empire disintegrated, but the descendants of its former citizens
gradually became Roman Catholic. In effect, all the people in those regions of
Europe were citizens of specific kingdoms and principalities, and they were also
adherents of one religion.
From the 8th to the 11th century, the many European rulers considered the churches in
their domains as theirs to rule, and they freely appointed bishops and abbots of
monasteries. In the 11th century, this trend began to reverse as the church claimed
independence from all ruling political powers. This independence eventually
asserted itself as a theory that the church was supreme over all earthly rulers because
spiritual power was by nature superior to all earthly authority.
By the 14th century, the church was so weakened by internal strife and division that it
could not enforce this claim of superiority. Instead, the church had to make treaties
called concordats with the rulers of the emerging nation-states, granting them a large
measure of authority over the churches within their domains.

81. Organization of the Roman Catholic
Church in Medieval Europe
Pope Leader of the Roman Catholic Church in Rome.
College of Cardinals Advisory council to the Pope. Elected the Pope.
Archbishops Supervised the bishops.
Bishops Supervised priests.
Settled disputes over Church teachings and
religious practices.
Priests Administered the sacraments, gave advice,
taught the rules of right and wrong, tried to help
the sick and needy.
Monks and nuns Lived apart from society in monasteries or
convents; devoted their lives to prayer and good
works.
Taught skills such as carpentry and weaving; set
up hospitals; gave shelter to travelers.
Monks kept classical learning alive by reading
and writing Latin, Greek, and Hebrew, studying
ancient manuscripts, and copying them by hand.

82. Medieval Monks
Monks were men who
devoted their lives to the
service of God.
The chapel house is were
monks go to speak to
pardons.
They did not talk at
dinner;instead they made
signals to each other for
talking.

83. Monks and Nuns
Some monks wore shirts made of
hair as undershirts,to purposely
scratch their skin and constantly
remind them of the suffering that
Jesus had done.
There is a special type of haircut
required of monks in some
churches.
It is called Tonsure,and it leaves a
ring of hair around the head to
represent the crown of thorns that
Jesus wore.

84. Monks and Nuns
Monks lived alone, but
met in a common
chapel.
Monks went to
monastery churches
eight times a day.
The life of a monk or
nun was full of prayer,
physical work, and
prayer.

85. The
Monk’s
Timetable

86. EXCOMMUNICATED
Exiled from the Catholic Church
SORRY NO SACRAMENTS FOR YOU

87. INQUISITIONS
CATHOLIC,
MAINLY SPANISH,
COURTS SET UP TO
TRY HERETICS
MOORS AND
JEWISH PEOPLE
IMPRISONED OR
KILLED
YOU BETTER
BELIEVE!!!

88. Summary
The Roman Empire fell due to outside
attacks and disease (brought on by
trade)
The Middle Ages began as the Church
replaced governments as the central
authority.

89. Feudalism/ Manoralism came from people’s
need for protection. Each member of the
socioeconomic system had rights and
responsibilities.
Cultures interact through wars and trade
ideas such as democratic ideas or religious
ideas.

90. Magna Carta, English Common Law and
the Medieval Church Concept Map
Control of
Medieval
England/Euro
pe
Origins
Type
Examples
Characteristics

91. Magna Carta, English Common Law and
the Medieval Church Quiz
1. What was the first form of law that gave the
nobility rights?
2. What institution was most powerful during
the Middle Ages?
3. Name one of the Christian denominational
dominions and one of the five major
churches.
4. During what century was the Catholic Church
strongest?
5. Name one of the positions within the Catholic
Church.